The Sullivan Family papers, which date from 1880 to 1994 and measure 2.25 linear feet, document the personal lives of four generations in the Sullivan Family. The papers are comprised of personal correspondence, school materials, legal documents, financial records, clippings, books, posters, and photographs.
Scope and Contents note:
These papers, which date from 1880 to 1994, bulk dates 1920–1960, document the lives of four generations of the Sullivan family. They contain material relating to a great number of Sullivan family members descended from Livinia and Abraham Sullivan. The papers especially offer insight into the family's life and involvement during the Second World War through a particularly abundant collection of correspondence and photographs. The papers also include books, legal documents, financial records, and school materials.
Arrangement note:
The papers are organized into four series. Folders are arranged alphabetically within series, while documents within folders are organized chronologically. Oversized material appears in the series: Biographical Files, Printed Materials and Photographs. Non archival materials associated with the papers are housed in the Collections Department.
Series I: Biographical Files
Series II: Correspondence
Series III: Printed Materials
Series IV: Photographs
Biographical/Historical note:
In 1883 Abraham Sullivan welcomed his wife, Livinia and four children, Charles, Nynetta, Emma, and Theodore to Boston, Massachusetts. Emigrating from New Brunswick, Canada, the family would remain in the Boston area for many generations to come. After the move to Boston, oldest son Charles H. Sullivan would rise to prominence in the New England music scene. He became a skilled craftsman in instrument-making and founded the Boston Victorian Orchestra, a multi-racial orchestra.
Charles Sullivan never married, which perhaps contributes to the lack of information on his life. His brother Theodore married Anne Vann of Nova Scotia, Canada. Together they raised two daughters from Anne's previous marriage, Sadie and Rosa Jones (later Sadie Thompson and Rosa Miller). They also had four children of their own, Theodore M., twins Mary (later Mary Walters) and May, and Frances (later Frances Mendez).
Theodore and Anne's son Theodore M. began his family's military tradition by enlisting in the army in 1917, during the First World War. He spent two years fighting in Europe before being honorably discharged at the end of the conflict in 1919. In the early 1930s Theodore was awarded the Purple Heart by United States Secretary of War George Dern for eleven different wounds sustained in 1918.
Theodore M.'s example was followed by his immediate and extended family members during the Second World War. Many of the women volunteered in war efforts at home and all three of Theodore M.'s sons, Lewis, Earle, and Edwin (Eddy) enlisted for service in the armed forces. In 1943 Earle Sullivan was accepted into the Tuskegee Institution's program for training the first African American military pilots (now famously known as the "Tuskegee Airmen") and was well into his training before his death at the end of 1943.
The Sullivan family continued their tradition of service for many decades through memberships with the Red Cross and American Legion. In 1954 Sadie Thompson, Theodore M. Sullivan's half sister, was honored with an award for forty years of service in her Boston Chapter of the American Red Cross, and again in 1971 for fifty five years of active involvement.
Although the Sullivan family retained ties to the Boston area they originally settled in, several branches have spread throughout the northeastern United States. After his marriage, Theodore M. Sullivan began working for the Bureau of Engraving in Washington D.C. Still connected to his Boston home, Theodore split his time between the two cities until his death in 1969. Upon her marriage to Thomas Mendes, Ethylene Mendez, daughter of Francis Sullivan Mendez moved to Long Island, N.Y. She was eventually followed by her mother and sister, Lillian, where they lived until their deaths in the 1980s and 90s.
Provenance:
The Sullivan Family papers were donated to the Anacostia Community Museum in April 2005 by Savina Martin, Dominga Martin and Donna Akiba Sullivan Harper.
Restrictions:
The collection is open for unrestricted research. Use requires an appointment.
Rights:
The Sullivan Family papers are the physical property of the Anacostia Community Museum. Literary and copyright belong to the author/creator or their legal heirs and assigns. Rights to work produced during the normal course of Museum business resides with the Anacostia Community Museum. For further information, and to obtain permission to publish or reproduce, contact the Museum Archives.
World War, 1939-1945 -- African Americans Search this
Genre/Form:
Autograph albums
Books
Correspondence
Certificates
Tintypes (prints)
Ephemera
Financial records
Negatives (photographic)
Photographic prints
Citation:
The Sullivan Family papers, Anacostia Community Museum Archives, Smithsonian Institution, gift of Savina Martin, Dominga Martin and Donna Akiba Sullivan Harper.
The collection is open for unrestricted research. Use requires an appointment.
Collection Rights:
The Sullivan Family papers are the physical property of the Anacostia Community Museum. Literary and copyright belong to the author/creator or their legal heirs and assigns. Rights to work produced during the normal course of Museum business resides with the Anacostia Community Museum. For further information, and to obtain permission to publish or reproduce, contact the Museum Archives.
World War, 1914-1918 -- African Americans Search this
Genre/Form:
Photographic prints
Collection Citation:
The Sullivan Family papers, Anacostia Community Museum Archives, Smithsonian Institution, gift of Savina Martin, Dominga Martin and Donna Akiba Sullivan Harper.
Theodore M. Sullivan began his family's military tradition by enlisting in the military on March 28, 1917, during World War I. Sullivan served in the 372nd Infantry Regiment, Company L, Sixth Infantry of Massachusetts. His military record indicates that he was involved in the Battle at Verdun, France before being honorably discharged at the end of the conflict. In the early 1930s Theodore was awarded the Purple Heart by United States Secretary of War George Dern for eleven different wounds sustained in 1918.
Collection Restrictions:
The collection is open for unrestricted research. Use requires an appointment.
Collection Rights:
The Sullivan Family papers are the physical property of the Anacostia Community Museum. Literary and copyright belong to the author/creator or their legal heirs and assigns. Rights to work produced during the normal course of Museum business resides with the Anacostia Community Museum. For further information, and to obtain permission to publish or reproduce, contact the Museum Archives.
World War, 1914-1918 -- African Americans Search this
Genre/Form:
Photographic prints
Collection Citation:
The Sullivan Family papers, Anacostia Community Museum Archives, Smithsonian Institution, gift of Savina Martin, Dominga Martin and Donna Akiba Sullivan Harper.
Theodore M. Sullivan began his family's military tradition by enlisting in the military on March 28, 1917, during World War I. Sullivan served in the 372nd Infantry Regiment, Company L, Sixth Infantry of Massachusetts. His military records indicates that he was involved in the Battle at Verdun, France before being honorably discharged at the end of the conflict. In the early 1930s Theodore was awarded the Purple Heart by United States Secretary of War George Dern for eleven different wounds sustained in 1918.
Collection Restrictions:
The collection is open for unrestricted research. Use requires an appointment.
Collection Rights:
The Sullivan Family papers are the physical property of the Anacostia Community Museum. Literary and copyright belong to the author/creator or their legal heirs and assigns. Rights to work produced during the normal course of Museum business resides with the Anacostia Community Museum. For further information, and to obtain permission to publish or reproduce, contact the Museum Archives.
World War, 1914-1918 -- African Americans Search this
Genre/Form:
Photographic prints
Collection Citation:
The Sullivan Family papers, Anacostia Community Museum Archives, Smithsonian Institution, gift of Savina Martin, Dominga Martin and Donna Akiba Sullivan Harper.
The collection is open for unrestricted research. Use requires an appointment.
Collection Rights:
The Sullivan Family papers are the physical property of the Anacostia Community Museum. Literary and copyright belong to the author/creator or their legal heirs and assigns. Rights to work produced during the normal course of Museum business resides with the Anacostia Community Museum. For further information, and to obtain permission to publish or reproduce, contact the Museum Archives.
World War, 1939-1945 -- African Americans Search this
Genre/Form:
Photographic prints
Collection Citation:
The Sullivan Family papers, Anacostia Community Museum Archives, Smithsonian Institution, gift of Savina Martin, Dominga Martin and Donna Akiba Sullivan Harper.
The collection is open for unrestricted research. Use requires an appointment.
Collection Rights:
The Sullivan Family papers are the physical property of the Anacostia Community Museum. Literary and copyright belong to the author/creator or their legal heirs and assigns. Rights to work produced during the normal course of Museum business resides with the Anacostia Community Museum. For further information, and to obtain permission to publish or reproduce, contact the Museum Archives.
The Sullivan Family papers, Anacostia Community Museum Archives, Smithsonian Institution, gift of Savina Martin, Dominga Martin and Donna Akiba Sullivan Harper.
Theodore M. Sullivan (third from left) began his family's military tradition by enlisting in the military on March 28, 1917, during World War I. Sullivan served in the 372nd Infantry Regiment, Company L, Sixth Infantry of Massachusetts. His military record indicates that he was involved in the Battle at Verdun, France before being honorably discharged at the end of the conflict. In the early 1930s Theodore was awarded the Purple Heart by United States Secretary of War George Dern for eleven different wounds sustained in 1918.
Collection Restrictions:
The collection is open for unrestricted research. Use requires an appointment.
Collection Rights:
The Sullivan Family papers are the physical property of the Anacostia Community Museum. Literary and copyright belong to the author/creator or their legal heirs and assigns. Rights to work produced during the normal course of Museum business resides with the Anacostia Community Museum. For further information, and to obtain permission to publish or reproduce, contact the Museum Archives.
World War, 1914-1918 -- African Americans Search this
Genre/Form:
Photographic prints
Collection Citation:
The Sullivan Family papers, Anacostia Community Museum Archives, Smithsonian Institution, gift of Savina Martin, Dominga Martin and Donna Akiba Sullivan Harper.
Theodore M. Sullivan (third from left) began his family's military tradition by enlisting in the military on March 28, 1917, during World War I. Sullivan served in the 372nd Infantry Regiment, Company L, Sixth Infantry of Massachusetts. His military record indicates that he was involved in the Battle at Vedun, France before being honorably discharged at the end of the conflict. In the early 1930s Theodore was awarded the Purple Heart by United States Secretary of War George Dern for eleven different wounds sustained in 1918.
Collection Restrictions:
The collection is open for unrestricted research. Use requires an appointment.
Collection Rights:
The Sullivan Family papers are the physical property of the Anacostia Community Museum. Literary and copyright belong to the author/creator or their legal heirs and assigns. Rights to work produced during the normal course of Museum business resides with the Anacostia Community Museum. For further information, and to obtain permission to publish or reproduce, contact the Museum Archives.
World War, 1914-1918 -- African Americans Search this
Genre/Form:
Photographic prints
Collection Citation:
The Sullivan Family papers, Anacostia Community Museum Archives, Smithsonian Institution, gift of Savina Martin, Dominga Martin and Donna Akiba Sullivan Harper.
Almost a century ago, Theodore M. Sullivan enlisted in the U.S. army to fight in World War I. His Enlistment Record lists his character as "excellent," and indicates that he was involved in the Battle at Verdun, France.
General:
Honorable Discharge certificate located on verso of enlistment record.
Collection Restrictions:
The collection is open for unrestricted research. Use requires an appointment.
Collection Rights:
The Sullivan Family papers are the physical property of the Anacostia Community Museum. Literary and copyright belong to the author/creator or their legal heirs and assigns. Rights to work produced during the normal course of Museum business resides with the Anacostia Community Museum. For further information, and to obtain permission to publish or reproduce, contact the Museum Archives.
World War, 1914-1918 -- African Americans Search this
Genre/Form:
Certificates
Collection Citation:
The Sullivan Family papers, Anacostia Community Museum Archives, Smithsonian Institution, gift of Savina Martin, Dominga Martin and Donna Akiba Sullivan Harper.
Theodore M. Sullivan began his family's military tradition by enlisting in the military on March 28, 1917, during World War I. Sullivan served in the 372nd Infantry Regiment, Company L, Sixth Infantry of Massachusetts. This certificate indicates that he was involved in the Battle at Verdun, France before being honorably discharged at the end of the conflict. In the early 1930s Theodore was awarded the Purple Heart by United States Secretary of War George Dern for eleven different wounds sustained in 1918.
Collection Restrictions:
The collection is open for unrestricted research. Use requires an appointment.
Collection Rights:
The Sullivan Family papers are the physical property of the Anacostia Community Museum. Literary and copyright belong to the author/creator or their legal heirs and assigns. Rights to work produced during the normal course of Museum business resides with the Anacostia Community Museum. For further information, and to obtain permission to publish or reproduce, contact the Museum Archives.
World War, 1914-1918 -- African Americans Search this
Genre/Form:
Certificates
Collection Citation:
The Sullivan Family papers, Anacostia Community Museum Archives, Smithsonian Institution, gift of Savina Martin, Dominga Martin and Donna Akiba Sullivan Harper.
Scurlock, George H. (Hardison), 1919-2005 Search this
Extent:
1 Item
Container:
Box 42
Type:
Archival materials
Photographs
Date:
[ca. 1945]
Scope and Contents:
Job Number: 49489
Two poses on same film sheet. Subject is in uniform with hat.
Subseries Restrictions:
Collection is open for research.
Gloves must be worn when handling unprotected photographs and negatives. Special arrangements required to view negatives due to cold storage. Using negatives requires a three hour waiting period. Contact the Archives Center at 202-633-3270.
Subseries Rights:
When the Museum purchased the collection from the Estate of Robert S. Scurlock, it obtained all rights, including copyright. The earliest photographs in the collection are in the public domain because their term of copyright has expired. The Archives Center will control copyright and the use of the collection for reproduction purposes, which will be handled in accordance with its standard reproduction policy guidelines. Archives Center cost-recovery and use fees may apply when requesting reproductions.
Photographs -- 1940-1950 -- Black-and-white negatives -- Acetate film
Subseries Citation:
Scurlock Studio Records, Archives Center, National Museum of American History. Smithsonian Institution
Sponsor:
The collection was acquired with assistance from the Eugene Meyer Foundation. Elihu and Susan Rose and the Save America's Treasures program, provided funds to stabilize, organize, store, and create digital surrogates of some of the negatives. Processing and encoding funded by a grant from the Council on Library and Information Resources.
